The Paneer is Done!

After about 4 hours wrapped in cheesecloth under a heavy pan filled with water, the cheese is done! It was a cinch to cut-- I was afraid it would fall apart, but look at those little slices of cheese, for the most part they held their shape wonderfully. Some of the slices from the end of the block were not as firm, so there was a little crumbling. I put some clarified butter in a pan and fried these little cheese slices to prep them for the cauliflower- paneer curry. No pics of the frying, though. Next time I'll try harder to remember.




Spicy Cauliflower-Paneer Curry
2 T. canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound cauliflower, chopped
1/4 t. tumeric
1 c. cilantro, chopped
4 fresh green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chiles, sliced (seeds in)
8 oz. paneer, fried 'till golden
1 med. tomato, seeded and diced
1 t. salt
1/2 t. garam masala

Heat oil in skillet on med-high. Add onion and stir-fry until light brown on edges-- 5 min. or so. Add cauliflower and tumeric, stir for about one minute. Add 1/2 c. water, cilantro, and chiles. Heat to boil, reduce to med-low, cover. Stir occasionally until cauliflower is tender, 10-15 min. Stir in the paneer, tomato, salt, and garam masala. Simmer, covered, occasionally stirring for 5-10 mintues, until paneer and tomato are warmed through.

It's true this recipe has a ton of cilantro, but it's added early in the process, so the flavor is not the bold, sharp taste we normally associate with cilantro. Cooking it down for awhile really mellows it out, and it blends in with the other tastes wonderfully.



It's so fun to make these curries that we had to do another. We had minimal familiarity with lentils, which are so prevalent in Indian cooking, so we decided on a curry with skinned, split black lentils. There are LOTS of kinds of lentils at the International Grocery, so we had to ask a few questions to get the right kind. Black lentils can be whole or split, with skins on or off. If skins are off, they're cream-colored. I'm still learning about the different lentils and beans used in Indian cooking-- I had no idea there was such variety.

Garlic-Lime Split Black Lentils
1 c. skinned black lentils, picked over for stones
1/4 t. tumeric
2 T. ghee or canola oil
1 t. cumin seeds
1 onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 fresh green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chiles, sliced (seeds in)
1 t. salt
juice from one lime
2 T. cilantro, chopped

To clean the lentils: Place lentils in a saucepan. Fill pan halfway with water, and rub the lentils with your hands-- the water will cloud. Drain and repeat until the water says pretty clear. Drain, then add 3 c. water, bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium. Skim and toss foam that accumulates on the top. Stir in tumeric, reduce to med-low, cover. Simmer, occasionally stirring, about 15 mintues, until lentils are tender-firm. Drain.

While lentils are cooking, heat a skillet on med-high and pour in ghee or oil. Add cumin seeds and cook until they turn reddish brown and sizzle-- 30 sec. or so. Add onion, garlic, and chiles, and stir-fry 3-5 minutes, until onion starts to brown and chiles are pungent. Stir in 1 c. water and salt, cook a couple mintues, then add the lentils. Cook until it's no longer runny, about 10 mintues. Add lime juice and cilantro, then serve.

This looks and sounds like a boring, bland dish, but Phil and I were both just amazed that this was really really good. I can't wait to have some for lunch today, in fact. The tumeric gives it that amazing yellow color, and the chiles are nice and hot. This was a surprise! And we love that yogurt-mint-cucumber dip so much that we had that, too.